Success!
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Adventures
London Thanksgiving was indeed a success. Alissa worked all day brining and cooking the turkey, which turned out great. I helped with some prep work, and was responsible for all the desserts (the pumpkin pie actually worked, which was a minor victory). There were ten of us – three Americans, two Brits, two Italians, two Canadians and one German – and everyone contributed something. We had all the dishes – mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, gravy, candied yams, and turkey. It was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to have a great time.
When I got home I called a few people who I thought I might be able to catch either just before dinner (like my NYC family – who I got to talk to!) or well before their holiday began. It was nice to hear some voices from home, for sure.
I have two weeks left in the term, one assignment left to do, a couple of essays to start, and loads of reading. But this weekend I’m taking off to visit Vanessa in Dublin for a weekend of relaxing and getting caught up. When I get back, I have some holiday shopping to do (I ordered my Christmas cards yesterday – woo!) a mini-cookie party with Kate and Richard, and hopefully some ice skating at one of the London rinks.
Before I head off to bed on this unusual Thanksgiving, I figured I should remind myself of a few things for which I’m thankful. They are truly in no particular order.
– The friends and family I have here in Europe and back in the states
– Unlimited text messaging
– The fact that I’m able to spend a year living in London, learning interesting things, and travelling around Europe
– Podcasts of Countdown and the Rachel Madow Show (how else will I stay indoctrinated with the left-wing agenda whilst studying Mill, Kant and Locke?)
– Universal health care in the UK
– Cocoa at the Garrick for only 95p before 10AM on Fridays
– Emails from home
– Running
– How I Met Your Mother on iTunes
– Student discount rail cards and bus passes
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you had a good one.
